Avatar: The tale of Lao: Book 1-Promises
by Just Somedude 1
Summary: Another generation of the Avatar has come and gone, however short it may have been. Out of Korra's death rises two new Avatars. One dark and fused with Vatu, the other light and fused with Rava. War is brewing in the nations as people take sides on who the real Avatar is, and both sides are prepared to draw blood. The war begins, as the world is unbalanced.
1. Chapter 1: A new beginning

**Okay guys so the first chapter is going to be narrated by Tenzin and it is a bit short so as you can see I've gone ahead and uploaded the first two chapters.**

 **Chapter 1: A new beginning**

 **Tenzin**

"And you are positive it's him?" I asked Meelo

"Ikki's sure, I'm sure, Jinora's sure," Meelo shrugged "What're the odds all three of us are wrong."

"How old?" I asked

"Ten," Meelo said "But the kid's an Earthbender, and he's shown a slight potential for waterbending."

I realized how old I was getting when it finally set in that I may live long enough to see three Avatars, assuming this one was the real thing. Jinora and Kai had contacted the temple nearly three days prior, informing us that they had found the new Avatar in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se.

"Even with this kid possibly being the new Avatar," Meelo said, shaking his head "I still have a tough time believing that Korra is really gone."

"We all do," I said sadly "But the cycle begins and ends, as all things do. We must accept that."

I wondered if I was trying to convince myself more than Meelo, I had mourned Korra for almost two years before I was able to finally begin telling myself that it was simply her time and I couldn't have stopped it.

"Do you know his name?" I asked

"Lao," Meelo reported "Jinora and Kai are with his mother right now, I believe this is it."

The lower ring of Ba Sing Se was not a place I enjoyed spending my time. The place was filthy, and it smelled horrible. People milled all about, occasionally robbing someone or breaking into spontaneous fistfights, this was no place for the Avatar to live. The house was a small, one room hut.

"Well," I sighed "Let's go see for ourselves."

Meelo opened the door and the two of us stepped inside, crouching to avoid the low hanging ceiling. The hut had a dirt floor, and only one room. There was a small fireplace with a pan hanging over it, and two piles of straw that appeared to be beds pushed into the corner.

"Dad!" Jinora exclaimed, throwing herself at me "Meelo! It's been so long!"

"It's been two weeks," Meelo grumbled, letting his sister hug him "I could stand to be away for a while longer."

"Dad," Jinora said, ignoring Meelo "This is Lalo, and this is her son, Lao."

She motioned to a tired looking woman standing off to the side next to Kai. She wore an old, green dress and her hair hung loosely around her shoulders. Her son was simply dressed in pants, wearing no shoes or shirt. His hair was long and unkempt and matted with dirt.

"Hello," I said kindly "I'm here to speak to you and your son."

Lao looked almost frightened by the four of us, and he probably had no clue what was going on. His mother gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before she smiled back to me and nodded, motioning for us to sit. We took our seats on the dirt ground, making a circle in the center of the house.

"Please forgive the intrusion," I said "But when Jinora told me she thought your son might be the Avatar, I had to come see to it personally."

"Of course," Lalo said, smiling warmly "It is an honor to have you in our home, Master Tenzin."

So, down to business I suppose," I said, clearing my throat "Now then, at what age did you first learn your son could bend."

"When he was eight," She said, shooting him a glance "Got into trouble for bending some rocks at the guards, that's when I learned he was an Earthbender. But a few days ago, I came home from the market and he was bending water from that pan over there, that's when I began to have suspicions."

"Interesting," I said thoughtfully "And who was his father?"

"A man named Samon," She whispered, lowering her head in shame "I was an…..escort. We met one night, he refused to pay me and I tried to leave, then he forced me."

"Ahhh," I nodded, realizing what she was getting at "Of course, and what about you, Lao? Tell me about the other day, when you were bending the water. Could you possibly do it again?"

"I'm not in any trouble am I?" Lao asked suspiciously

"Of course not," I laughed "I'm here to see if you're the Avatar, and I need you to do some basic bending for me, whatever elements that you can."

Lao looked to his mother who gave him an encouraging nod, and he stood to his feet. He raised his hand into the air and a small chunk of rock came from the ground beneath him, rising into the air. He made it go back and forth a few times before dropping it, and then looking back up at the rest of us.

"Like that?" He asked

"Can you bend other elements?" I asked him "Water? Air? Fire?"

"I can't bend air or fire," Lao said "But I can bend water, not very well though."

"That's fine," I told him "Would you show me?"

Lao nodded and turned to the fireplace, extending his hand to the pot hanging above it. He concentrated as hard as he could, and I felt the spiritual energy flowing through him before there was a small gurgling sound and water began to rise from the pot.

"Incredible," Kai whispered "Tenzin, this has to be him."

"You think my son is the Avatar?" Lalo asked, shocked

"When is his birthday?" Meelo asked

"Ten years ago to the day," Lalo told us "His birthday is today."

"The same day Korra died," Meelo said, turning to me "And he was born. Now we find out he's an Earthbender and a Waterbender, it's not a coincidence."

"No, it's not," I nodded "Lao, I believe you are the Avatar, and I would like to train you."

"Train me for what?" He asked, confused

"The Avatar is the bridge between the spirit and physical worlds," Jinora explained to him "When Korra opened the portals, spirits came to this world and now live amongst us, as you probably know."

"I remember when Republic City was attacked," Lalo said "I was there, Avatar Korra did great things in her lifetime, and I believe you will too, Lao."

"You're letting them take me?" Lao asked "But I don't want to go, I can't leave you here, this place is horrible."

"I'll be fine, Lao." She said reassuringly

"No," Lao said stubbornly, turning to me "I'm sorry, I know you want your Avatar, and you'll have it, but only on one condition."

"And what might that be?" I asked him

"I want you to take my mother too," Lao said "If you don't want her to go to the same place as us then that's fine, but at least get her out of here."

"Dad," Jinora said "There might not be enough room at the temple to take her."

"Nonsense," I said, waving her off "We're Air Nomads, and there is always and will always be room in our temples."

"You really mean it?" Lao asked, grinning

"Of course," I told him "We'll head for Air Temple Island at once, grab your things and meet me at the city gates as soon as you're ready. Avatar Lao, my name is Tenzin, and I will be your instructor and advisor in spiritual matters."


	2. Chapter 2: Six years later

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **Chapter 2: Six years later**

 **Lao**

I blocked another wave of rocks from Bolin, sending several of my own to him. He threw them aside with ease and came back in full force, something I wasn't entirely prepared for. I took a chunk of stone to the ribs and flew backwards, hitting the wall and dropping to the ground.

"Bolin!" Opal called from the other side of the courtyard "Don't be so rough with him!"

"I'm fine, Opal." I said, pushing myself to my feet

"Come on, Lao," Bolin said "That's the fifteenth time you've taken a rock to the ribs, let's call it a night and get you a healer to make sure nothing's broken."

"Ahhh come on," I laughed, coughing "I can take it Bolin, one more round."

"You don't exactly look like you could survive another round," Bolin said, putting his arm around my shoulder, come on."

I nodded and followed Bolin back inside the temple, where he brought me to the medical wing for a healer. I'll admit, something did feel broken, but I just hated losing to Bolin. I could smash every White Lotus Earthbender, Waterbender, and Firebender Tenzin could muster up against me, but Bolin got me everytime.

"Almost had me this time," Bolin said, sitting me up on the cot "Just remember, never assume your opponent is down for the count, always be ready for a counterattack."

"But you're so good at looking beaten." I laughed

Bolin and I laughed for a moment before a Healer appeared next to me, water in her hands. She smiled warmly as I laid back, letting her touch the water to my ribs. She was pretty, just a year younger than I was, and she'd healed my broken bones quite a few times.

"Four broken ribs," She said, looking at Bolin "It's not like he has spare ribs, could you guys at least try not to break eachother, what about you, Bolin?"

"Just a sprained ankle," Bolin shrugged "I don't need a healer for that."

"Oh shut up and come here." She said, pulling the water from my ribs and putting it on Bolin's ankle

Her name was Lilah, and she was one of my best friends. She and her father had both come from the Southern Water Tribe after studying healing with Katara only a year after I had arrived. We had spent some time together over the years, being that there was only about seven people around our age at the temple.

Okay," She said, finishing Bolin's leg and putting the water back on my ribs "Now let's see about your ribs."

"Argh!" I cried, feeling my ribs putting themselves back into place "Opal's right Bolin, take it easy on me."

"The next time we go back out there, you'll be telling me to hit you with more rocks and that you can take it." Bolin said

"Yeah, I usually don't remember this part." I said as the last of my ribs popped back into place

"Bolin," A voice said from the doorway "There you are, I figured I'd find you beating up on the Avatar again."

Mako stood in the doorway of the infirmary, his trademark grin plastered to his face. Mako was the only Firebender at the temple I had yet to face, and that was because I knew I'd get destroyed. I studied old firebending techniques, and had even read the legends of Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko discovering the Sun Warriors, and I couldn't wait to set out and find them.

"I wasn't beating up on the Avatar," Bolin said "I was training the Avatar, there's a big difference."

"Right," Mako said, rolling his eyes "Like Vatu trained Korra? Like Ozai trained Aang?"

"Difference is I asked him to break my ribs with rocks," I laughed "Next time I might ask you to bend some lava at me."

"That's a definite no," Bolin told me "Until you can figure out either lavabending or metalbending, then it's a no."

I rolled my eyes while Lilah scanned the rest of me for injuries. Seeming satisfied with her exam, she pulled the water back to the bowl next to the cot and nodded.

"How's airbending coming along?" Mako asked me

"No very well," I sighed "Earthbenders don't take to airbending very well."

"What about the Avatar State?" Mako asked "Can you enter it yet?"

"Nothing much with that either," I told him "I don't understand why, Tenzin and I meditated for five hours the other night."

"You'll figure it out," Mako said "You got through that firebending block, didn't you?"

"I guess." I sighed

"Come on," Bolin said, standing "It's dinner time."

I followed Bolin from the infirmary and headed to the dining hall, following the smell. Although the Airbenders were on a vegetarian diet, they did cook meat for those of us who weren't Nomads. I took my seat across from Kai and Jinora, giving them a small grin as I sat down.

"In a bit of pain?" Kai asked me

"Quite a bit actually," I admitted "Those Healers are amazing, but I can still feel pain in my ribs."

"So," Jinora said, leaning in close "We've got more news on this other Avatar."

"You do?" I asked "Why didn't you say so? Come on, spill it."

"His name is Gaanar," Kai told me "He's your age, born the same day, from the Earth Kingdom, his story about being the Avatar matches up, except for one thing."

"And that would be?" I asked

"I felt a ton of dark energy coming from him," Jinora told me "Not like yours, not like Rava. This was chaotic, and I've only felt it once before. I think he is an Avatar, but I think he's a darker version, I think it's Vatu."

"But Korra destroyed him didn't she?" I asked "Shouldn't he be gone for a while?"

"You forget, darkness and light are forever," Jinora said "It appears that after all these years, Vatu may have reformed and bonded with another human. Although he won't be at full power for another ten thousand years, that doesn't mean he can't form."

"It gets worse too," Kai said "People actually believe him, and they think you're a false Avatar. They've rallied behind him, even some politicians."

"Can people seriously not tell the difference between Vatu and Rava?" I demanded

"If you don't have a spiritual connection, then no," Jinora said "Not everybody can just reach out to his energy like I can, but I'm afraid it also gets even worse than that."

"Riots broke out in the Fire Nation the other night," Kai said "A lot of people died too. There were protests, calling for the official recognition of Gaanar as the Avatar and for your execution as a false Avatar."

"Will the United Republic do anything about it?" I asked, finally digging into my food

"Until they threaten the city, probably not," Kai said "But more and more people pop up in support of him every single day, and their mission is to bring you to justice for falsely impersonating the Avatar."

"But I am the Avatar," I said, frustrated "I'm just not a very good one."

"The crazy thing about Gaanar is that he seems very well trained," Jinora said "He has a master, somebody trained him in the elements."

"What can we do?" I asked

"Nothing," I heard Tenzin say from behind me, sitting down "You must focus on your Avatar training for the time being, do not worry about this Gaanar, his so called revolution won't last long."

"That's what they said about Amon," Jinora pointed out "And he almost took down Republic City."

"Let the White Lotus handle Gaanar," Tenzin said "Just focus on your training for now."

I knew there would be no arguing with Tenzin, so I decided to let it go for the moment, but this wasn't over. I'd been hearing about another Avatar claiming I was a false Avatar for about a week at that point, and I was beginning to think he was more than a bunch of empty threats.

"Tomorrow, I think we should work on your airbending a bit more," Tenzin said "You'll get the hang of it with the right teacher."

"I hope so," I sighed "I'm getting frustrated with this whole mastering all four elements thing."

Dinner went by without much more conversation, and I left as soon as I was finished. I knew that Kai and Jinora would keep on digging for me despite what Tenzin had said, but I hated standing around waiting for news. Tenzin didn't exactly keep me locked on the island, but I wasn't allowed to leave the city, that rule I at least abided by. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't see Asami walking through the courtyard, and I smashed right into her.

"In a hurry?" Asami laughed, pushing herself up

"No," I said, helping her "I'm just in far away places right now."

"I know what that's like," She told me "I came to find Mako, but I suppose helping the Avatar is a bit more important than my company, so what's up?"

"It's this Gaanar guy again," I told her "Lot's of people, even politicians, are revealing their support for him and belief that I'm a false Avatar. There were riots in the Fire Nation, people died."

"I heard about it," Asami said grimly "The entire city knows about it, although I can't say for sure if Gaanar has any supporters here, what with you living just off the coast."

"I mean, I would hope people here knew I was the real Avatar," I told her "I've worked with the police a few times to help out when I can, I stopped the Triple Threats at that bank robbery didn't I? I've demonstrated that I do have a decent grasp on more than one element."

"Have you tried talking to Korra?" Asami asked "She was only twenty two when she died but she could still help you somehow, and maybe you might be able to reestablish the connection to your past lives."

"Tried talking to Korra, didn't work," I said "I can't even communicate with Rava and she's inside of me."

"There has to be something you can do to defuse this situation," She said "Maybe try reaching out to Gaanar and talking to him."

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said "Not when his mission is to 'bring me to justice' or whatever."

"Yeah," Asami agreed "Come to think of it, he'd probably kill you on the spot."

"Sometimes I just want to leave this place," I said wistfully "And just travel the world, helping in any way that I can."

"You need to master the elements," Asami told me "Korra wanted the same thing, but she also respected that she needed training as the Avatar, even if it took a while. Maybe you could if Kai or Jinora or even Mako and Bolin."

"What did you say?" I asked

"That maybe Tenzin would allow you to go travel the world if you had someone come with you," Asami said "He got better about letting the Avatar gain real life experiences to help them."

"Do you think he really would?" I asked "If Kai and Jinora went with me, they would help me hunt Gaanar, and Jinora could train me in airbending."

"Mako and Bolin and I could come along as extra security, it's been too long since I've been in a good scrap," She said "I can leave the company in Varrick's hands for a bit."

"I'll ask Tenzin," I said, grinning "This might actually work, I'm ready to track down Gaanar and confront him."


End file.
